‘Snowquester’: The DC Disaster that Wasn’t

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — Local Washington, D.C., schools, the federal government and offices that follow the Office of Management and Budget’s guidance on weather warnings took the day off in preparation for up to a foot of snow.

But by Wednesday afternoon, it was clear that the snowstorm — or snowquester, depending on whom you asked — was just shy of a snow-show.

Around 2:30 p.m., the National Weather Service canceled its winter storm warning for the Washington area, switching to a less-severe winter weather advisory.

There was hardly any accumulation inside the Beltway, but 20-50 miles west of the city, children had enough snow to build a snowman.

Though the blizzard brouhaha blew over early, the storm still froze Washington. The House of Representatives moved up a vote on funding the federal government so members could head out for the rest of the week. Metro riders enjoyed an unusually smooth morning commute, with only 65,000 riders by 10 a.m., compared to 268,000 riders during the same period last week, according to the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority.

Some on Twitter joked the storm was the latest victim of the $85-billion automatic budget cuts that took effect last week.